Its dusk and outside its green, tropical and misty.

The air is heavy with moisture.

The day is laying its grey blanket over the hills and valleys here in Maleny

Maleny is in the Blackall Range overlooking the Glasshouse Mountains. At an altitude of about 1500 feet (450 meters) above sea level, it is a subtropical haven in tropical Queensland.

Some of the ladies have traveled long distances for class tomorrow and are staying in the same hotel, they arrived in time to take dinner with us.

Is a fitting end to our two full days of International Women's Day awareness.

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Now it appears that I seem to find myself right on the cusp of yet another dangerous situation.

A few weeks ago there was a fire in the Museum while we were there. We had to be evacuated in the Tasmanian bush-fires in January and today there was another scare.

Lunching with friends in the Art Gallery, they began to receive a flurry of messages to tell us that there was a gunman, just a block away, over the bridge.

Of course my very dear  and thoughtful friends  said it was my fault because I seem to attract trouble.

Surrounded by helicopters and police we were quite safe but the armed gunman was in the main shopping street just a short distance away.

The center of the city was locked down, people ushered to safe havens and the reports of the progress of his eventual capture were delivered with frequency by friends and family.

Daughter Callie in another state, over 2000 miles away rang to see if I was OK.

Caroline and Di looking suitably afraid…

I was prepared to risk life and limb for my friends!!!!:)

After a few hours the sad young man was captured and taken away.

The city returned to normality and we took a detour home.